Space operations such as rendezvous, docking, and proximity operations can be very challenging and are complicated by the precise nature and errors of the measurements for navigating and controlling the relative motion and orbits between the spacecrafts or other space targets of interest. These operations use navigation sensors that typically consist of multiple, bulky components. The typical sensor may include various types of instruments to provide measurements for the component systems, such as visible and infrared sensors, laser range finders, LADARs (laser detection and ranging), inertial measurement units, and GPS (global positioning system) receivers.
However, for many missions, the navigation sensors have extremely tight size and weight constraints and must operate either manually or autonomously to accomplish their mission. Thus, a new generation of navigation sensors is needed to address the above problems for relative navigation, attitude determination, and pointing related to rendezvous, docking, and proximity operations. Potential benefits from utilizing these new navigation sensors include reduced crew training, reduced reliance on ground systems, and more operational flexibility. New sensors can also reduce the need to augment target spacecraft with cooperative devices and thus provide for greater flexibility and enhanced mission success.
Future lunar, terrestrial, and other planetary exploration missions will require safe and precision landing at scientifically interesting sites which may be near hazardous terrain features such as craters or pre-deployed assets. This will require systems that can provide the critical and safe landing functions such as Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Altimetry, Velocimetry, Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA), and dust penetration. Typically, these functions require separate, dedicated sensors for each function leading to large, complex, heavy, costly, and power-hungry systems that fail to meet stringent mission size and weight constraints.
For meeting the needs of these missions, 3-dimensional imaging sensors, particularly Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR, also known as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)) sensors, have emerged as the leading candidate. However, present LADAR solutions typically involve two LADAR sensors. One of the LADAR sensors uses the complex coherent LADAR technique to provide ranging, descent and lateral velocity information while the other LADAR provides terrain aided navigation and HDA using a flash 3-dimensional LADAR. However, the use of multiple sensors adds complexity to the landing function. Other LADAR solutions use inefficient scanning LADAR
Thus, a new generation of flash LADAR-based planetary landing system is needed to address the above problems and enable a number of planetary landing functions such as GNC, Altimetry, Velocimetry, TRN, HDA, and dust penetration to be accomplished in a single unit, significantly reducing payload size, weight, power, and cost.